Tension at McLaren: Norris and Piastri, crash in Singapore; is the championship getting complicated?

Tension at McLaren: The incident that overshadowed Russell’s victory

The Singapore Grand Prix, despite George Russell’s surprising victory and McLaren’s defense of the constructors’ title, was marked by an incident between teammates Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri on the first lap. This crash has generated an intense debate about the team’s internal rules and the increasing pressure in the fight for the championship. The contact between Norris and Piastri, meticulously analyzed, was classified as a racing incident by the FIA, with no need for investigation. However, within the context of McLaren, the situation is more delicate. The team’s rules, which seek fairness and avoid contact between drivers, were challenged in this incident.

What happened on the track?

Norris, from fifth position, had a good start and went on the attack, overtaking Kimi Antonelli. In turn 1, he approached his teammate Piastri, and in turn 3, he tried to overtake Max Verstappen. In that attempt, Norris grazed Verstappen’s Red Bull, causing his car to slide and collide with Piastri. The incident caused damage to Norris’s front wing, but the contact with Piastri is what allowed him to gain third position. Piastri, visibly upset, expressed his frustration over the radio to the team.

“It wasn’t very team-oriented, but oh well”, Piastri said on the radio.

Oscar Piastri

The conversation between Piastri and his race engineer, Tom Stallard, continued, showing the driver’s dissatisfaction.

• Piastri: “Are we okay with Lando pushing me off the track, or… what’s going on there?”
• Stallard: “Oscar, we’re looking at it. Let me get back to you.”
• Stallard: “I need you to focus on what we can do here. Control the controllable, mate.”
• Stallard: “There will be no further action from the stewards. As a team, we can see that Lando had to avoid Verstappen, so we will not take any action during the race. We can review it later.”
• Piastri: “That’s not fair. Sorry, that’s not fair.”
• Stallard: “Oscar, chance to review together. Focus on this race, mate.”
• Piastri: “Yeah, but if he has to avoid another car by crashing into his teammate, it’s a pretty bad job of avoiding.”

From Piastri’s perspective, Norris’s aggressiveness was the cause of the contact. However, the onboard camera images reveal that Norris could not avoid the crash after hitting Verstappen. Norris, for his part, defended his action, arguing that any driver on the grid would have done the same. Both drivers and the team will review the incident to avoid future problems.

Why didn’t McLaren intervene?

McLaren, after analyzing the incident, considered the contact to be a consequence of Norris’ initial collision with Verstappen, therefore a racing incident. The team director, Andrea Stella, understood Piastri’s frustration, but highlighted the importance of open communication via radio. Stella explained that the team will evaluate the incident to improve its approach and avoid similar situations in the future. The tension between the drivers and the fight for the championship are increasing, which requires careful management by the team.

Next steps in the battle for the title

With six races remaining, the situation in the championship intensifies. Piastri leads Norris by 22 points, while Verstappen is closing in, reducing the gap to 63 points. The internal pressure at McLaren will increase, testing the team’s rules and the relationship between the drivers.

Andrea Stella emphasized the importance of maintaining communication and integrity within the team. However, the rules of the game between the drivers could be affected by their individual interests, which will make decision-making difficult for McLaren in the future.